Children Eating Dirt to Survive, and No One Seems to Care

In the poorest town, in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, a shocking industry has began to grow as a result of extreme poverty. Cité Soleil, Haiti, is the largest and most dangerous slum in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lack of food has forced residents to become extremely resourceful. But at what cost?

The short video below offers an extremely sobering peek inside the every day lives of those living in extreme poverty; one that may shift your perspective.

This food staple is made from dirt brought by merchants from the nearby central plateau, mixed with small amounts of vegetable shortening, salt and sometimes sugar.

Although the people of Cité Soleil know the cookies are not good for them and often complain of stomach pains, they have become the sole source of income and only food source for many people, including nursing mothers.

The combined problem of an unstable government and extreme and widespread poverty has made imported food financially out of reach for Haitian families living on around 1 dollar per day.

Doctors warn that dirt can contain deadly parasites and toxins, and eating it could lead to malnutrition, tooth decay, constipation and more, but the people of Haiti explain that the dirt cookies are a necessary evil to survive such extreme conditions.